I See You've Called in Dead

by John Kenney

“I worry it makes me sound whiny and pathetic. Which are actually two of my better traits.” “Sarcasm is a defense, Bud. One we usually outgrow in our teens. But no matter.

Tim said he had come across a funeral that looked as if it should be on our list. He seemed adamant about it, so we drove north, toward the Bronx, late afternoon, the sun over our shoulders, between the skyscrapers, casting long shadows.

“There are three people in the room when I work. There’s me. There’s the deceased. And there’s God.” He shrugged, his enigmatic expression never changing. No sarcasm, no wasted words. Just the thoughts of a man who has seen behind a curtain most of us never will.